Halo 3 Heroic Interview

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Bungie talks about the new downloadable maps and what's to come.

By Erik Brudvig

On December 11, Bungie is releasing the Heroic Map pack, the first chunk of downloadable content for Halo 3. The pack will eventually be free this spring, but next week you'll be able to snag it for 800 Microsoft Points ($10 USD). In addition to a full day of playing the maps for a hands-on preview, we also had the opportunity to hit up Brian Jarrard, Community Lead at Bungie Studios, with a few questions about the upcoming pack and Bungie's plans for the future of Halo 3.

IGN: Are there any plans in motion to recreate some of the classic Halo and Halo 2 maps for download like we saw with Tombstone and Desolation?

Brian Jarrard: There are always plans in motion at Bungie. I think it's safe to say that a classic map or two will eventually find their way to your Xbox 360 as part of a future Halo 3 DLC release. We know our fans are still clamoring for an updated Chrion TL34.

IGN: The penetration of Xbox Live is at a much higher percentage with Halo 3 than it was in the heydays of Halo 2. Still, a good number of Halo 3 owners won't have an easy way to download these maps. Any chance of a retail disc in the future?

Brian Jarrard: Ultimately we'd love to make the new Halo 3 maps available for as many of our fans as possible. There aren't currently any formal plans to release a retail disc but it's certainly possible and something we'll be talking with MGS about in the months ahead.

Time to design your own race tracks.

IGN: Three maps for 10 dollars is a bit pricey. The last map pack for Halo 2 gave us two for $4. The first had several free maps and five more for $12. Any reason for the inflated price tag?

Brian Jarrard: The simple truth here is that at the end of the day, pricing is something that is out of our hands. The price and release specifics are determined by our partners at Microsoft who have far more expertise in those areas than we do. I can't speak for them but I would imagine there are things to consider like timing, the quality of the content, the popularity of the underlying title and what their research tells them people are willing to pay.

The most important thing for us at Bungie is that we were all able to agree on a "free over time" model to ensure that eventually our entire community can enjoy these maps while also keeping our online matchmaking system in a healthy state. All of our new Halo 3 maps are going to be awesome but if someone doesn't feel comfortable or compelled to pay now, they can rest easy knowing that the maps will be theirs to play for free within a reasonable amount of time.

IGN: We all know Bungie is hard at work at some new super secret project. How much more is in the planning stages for further support of Halo 3?

Brian Jarrard: We have a sizeable group of people right now that are devoted strictly to growing and enhancing Halo 3. Between downloadable content and regular updates to our matchmaking playlists, we are committed to Halo 3 for the long haul. The best scenario for us is that we keep our fans engaged and enjoying Halo 3 until the next Bungie title is released.